Demons
by Daniel Monteray
Summary: He had lost his memories already, but now, he felt like he was also losing a part of his soul with each passing day. He wouldn't lie. He hated the feeling. (Tempesta-centric)
1. Demons

**Demons **

"So this is my body, is it?"

Fingers curling gracefully, he clenched and unclenched his hand, feeling the warmth of his magical power surging through his body like molten gold. It was an unfamiliar feeling but it felt…right. How he had obtained such power and what he would use it for was beyond his comprehension right now. His head felt light and there was an empty feeling within him, a void-like blackhole in his mind. He had no memories, nothing to hold on to and this indescribable feeling ate away at him.

But he didn't have time to dwell on it as a girl beside him piped up cheerily, dragging him out of his thoughts.

"That's right, Tempesta-kun ~"

His eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Tempesta, so that is my name…"

The name rolled off his tongue easily, almost as if he had used it many times before, but when and why, he couldn't say.

His eyes flickered towards his companion.

The strange girl was enjoying herself, smiling at him and spouting some nonsense about appearances.

"My appearance is unimportant," he replied coldly.

Perhaps he was being a bit hard on the girl, but appearances mattered little to him. Something stirred in his chest, whispering, calling to him, imploring to him that what really mattered was power, that strength was what was truly important. And he accepted this notion without hesitation.

A sudden motion caught his eye and he turned towards the source.

"And who is that?"

Raw power radiated from every pore of her being. She was powerful indeed and if he hadn't found it slightly threatening, he might have found it alluring, intoxicating even.

"Minerva…"

His eyes gleamed with distrust. She must have caught it though, as she shot him a confident smirk and his eyes narrowed in response.

There was a certain darkness to her, a certain aura around her and it sent shivers down his spine.

No, he didn't trust her at all.

Not one bit.


	2. Crossroads

**Warning:** torture.

* * *

**Crossroads**

The thumping electronic music pounding in the background helped soothe his nerves, helped him blank out his mind. He didn't want to think yet silence was all too often the cause and so he had turned up the volume, allowing the music to wash over him and envelope him in its pulsing embrace.

Tempesta unleashed a series of solid punches at the sandbag in front of him, putting every bit of energy and all of his weight behind his attacks. His muscles ached and drops of sweat rolled off his bare back but he never let up. He couldn't, because if he broke his concentration for even one second, he would start thinking again. He would notice the gaping voids in his mind; the empty, hollow feeling within; and it drove him up the walls.

The demon smashed his fist into the sandbag once more and it swung far away from him. He stood his ground, one foot behind the other, both arms raised in a blocking stance. The sandbag slammed into him but he took the brunt of the impact with his arms and shoulder. Then he was off again, sending a flurry of punches at the training tool.

It would have been easy to use his powers but that would defeat the whole purpose of such an exercise. He needed to feel the fatigue creep through his body, needed to feel the adrenaline rush through his veins.

The blood had already seeped through the bandages wrapped around his hands, staining it a brilliant crimson. His knuckles were bruised and chafed, every blow only serving to worsen the injuries. But he didn't care. He needed the pain. He wanted to feel something. Anything but the emptiness plaguing his mind. He was creating new memories every day but his past memories were proving hard to recapture. And that wasn't enough for him. He needed more. He needed something to hold on to, something he could understand.

The air around him shifted like ripples blossoming in a pool of still water as someone entered the training room wordlessly. The distortion irked him but he didn't turn around, merely raising a hand and allowing the gust of wind to rip out the chain from the ceiling and hurl the sandbag across the length of the room, effectively ending his training for the day.

The demon was no longer in the mood after the interruption.

He inhaled deeply and unraveled the bandages, watching as the blood dripped from his fingers. "Is there something you want?"

"It's time."

His shoulders tensed and a sudden warmth flared up his back. Hands moved to slick his hair back away from his sweat-drenched face wearily.

"I see."

Tempesta didn't bother grabbing a shirt but he snagged some clean bandages and started wrapping them around his hands, eyebrows furrowed and eyes downcast.

It was time.

* * *

The details were still hazy at this point but from what he had gathered, Minerva had failed one of her missions for Tartarus.

Kyouka had been livid and she had dragged a battered and bruised Minerva to the dungeons. The newest recruit would no doubt be punished and Kyouka had made it a point to let everyone know.

He hadn't understood the significance of such a move at that time, but when Ezel had dragged him down to the dungeons to watch the punishment with unbridled enthusiasm, Tempesta had realized that it was nothing more than humiliation at its finest.

Stripped naked with chained feet apart, Yakdoriga's tentacles wound tightly over her arms; he watched as Kyouka raked her razor sharp claws over Minerva's body, her curse having heightened the latter's sense of pain.

Claws ran up and down her back, her chest, her thighs and blood oozed out from every break in the skin. Minerva was struggling to contain the fear and pain, biting her lip to prevent herself from making any noise. But that only served to encourage her torturer even more as she unleashed her blows much more viciously and with more frequency.

He adjusted the bandages over his knuckles once before folding his arms and leaning back against the stone wall, jaw locked and eyes grim as he witnessed the brutal display before him.

Tempesta had no qualms with killing people, not if orders demanded that he do so. But he had never enjoyed needless suffering and pain. He derived no pleasure from inflicting such agony on others; in fact, he found it pointless and barbaric.

Kyouka moved closer to Minerva, a hand reaching up to caress her face, claws trailing down lightly so as not to shred the soft skin, but with just enough force to leave red streaks on the side. Then, she continued her torture with a smirk on her lips.

Merciless was what it was and a scream finally escaped from Minerva's lips when she could no longer bear the pain. But Kyouka merely smiled and increased the sensation of pain, and allowed Yakdoriga to electrocute her victim. Ragged gasps reverberated throughout the room and Minerva's body went limp, hanging loosely from her restraints.

He could see that she was delirious with pain at this point, body slick with sweat and convulsing intermittently.

Kyouka paused to let her catch her breath and he could see the demon's lips form soundless words as she leaned in to whisper in the other female's ear. Minerva must have caught what it was though for there was a sharp inhalation of breath, her eyes widening in terror. Kyouka laughed and slashed at her once more, eliciting another scream from her.

Panting, Minerva looked up, eyes glazed over in agony.

Their eyes locked briefly and the male looked away, unable to meet her eyes.

As much as he hated torture, it was not his place to step in and intervene. There was an unspoken hierarchy within the guild, and as team leader, Kyouka ranked above him. There was also the fact that Minerva was Kyouka's pet and her discipline was for Kyouka, and Kyouka alone, to determine.

He could not interfere in such affairs.

But as her screams grew louder and as more blood streamed down her body and splattered onto the floor, Tempesta found himself growing restless. He closed his eyes, fingers digging deeper into his arms with every pained howl, every agonizing sob.

And when he opened his eyes again, he saw that even Ezel – one of the more bloodthirsty of the Nine Demon Gates – had left. He pushed himself off the wall and turned to do the same, but the subsequent cry caused him to hesitate. He glanced back reluctantly only to see the female fading in and out of consciousness as Kyouka prepared to increase her pain sensation once more.

Try as he may not to care, Tempesta was not oblivious to Minerva's suffering. And though his face remained stoic, he was actually waging an internal battle as to whether his intervention was warranted or not.

Indifference for the female lingered in the back of his mind but there was an uncomfortable asphyxiation in his chest and he didn't know what to do.

For someone who wanted to feel so desperately, he was doing a pretty shitty job at handling his feelings. And right now, he was a conundrum of contradictory emotions.

"Leaving so soon, Tempesta?"

Kyouka's voice floated over to him and he froze, one hand on the handle of the door.

He did not turn around.

"Yes, I find this…activity…rather tasteless," he said lowly and left the room with Minerva's screams still ringing in his ears.

And though he tried to convince himself that it was not something for him to interfere in, he just couldn't shake off the feeling that he was, to some extent…abandoning her.

And then, there was the implication behind it.

He had lost his memories already, but now, he felt like he was also losing a part of his soul with each passing day.

He wouldn't lie. He hated the feeling.

* * *

**A/N: **Ahaha, clearly I have no idea what I'm doing.


	3. Wires

**Wires**

He stood motionless, one hand pressed against the wall in front of him with head bowed as the hot water cascaded down his shoulders. The droplets rained down around him in an almost wistful, melancholy manner and for a brief moment, he was mesmerized by the bouncing ripples blossoming as each droplet came into contact with the ground. The soothing heat eased his aching muscles and the gradual relaxation served as a momentary distraction, but still his thoughts kept wandering back to the day's events.

The unidentified feeling stirred in his chest, curling and unfurling within him, and Tempesta wondered for the hundredth time, what it was.

The chilling screams still echoed in his head and he tilted his head upwards, eyes closed as he exhaled deeply. Maybe the water could wash away the memory. Maybe.

A bruised hand reached up to turn off the shower and he emerged from within the shroud of white steam, padding over towards one of the central pillars to retrieve his towel from its hook.

A pained gasp sounded behind him and Minerva rounded the corner, hobbling over towards one of the showers. She was naked and blood was still seeping from all the wounds marring her once unblemished skin. She refused to look at him, pausing every so often to catch her breath as she inched along the wall, one hand covering her breasts in an attempt to preserve what little dignity she had left.

It seemed like Kyouka had refused to let her heal herself in the tanks. After enduring all of the physical pain and humiliation, it was like rubbing salt in the wounds but that was exactly what Kyouka wanted.

To break her pet, her plaything.

Not that it mattered what Minerva was labeled as because in the end, everything that was inflicted upon her was to assert Kyouka's dominance over the newest recruit; a twisted appeasement of Kyouka's ego.

Tempesta's eyes darkened at the thought.

The Nine Demon Gates of Tartarus, born from the books of Zeref and bound together by a common purpose. They were nothing more than guild mates but they each held a grudging respect for one another as a result of such a bond.

Minerva, on the other hand, had no such ties. Born a human but converted into a demon, she was nothing but a hybrid; one who did not share their desire to locate Zeref nor their ideals for the destruction of magic. It didn't help that she was also Kyouka's pet, which – although ensured that no one was stupid enough to touch her – ostracized her and destroyed whatever status one possessing of such power would normally have been accorded.

She was within and without, an outcast among outcasts.

And it was lonely.

The female started moving again and he could see out of the corner of his eye that fatigue was settling in quickly. She pushed herself off the wall with much effort and stumbled over towards the row of showers along the other side of the wall. Just as she was about to reach it, her knees buckled underneath her and she crumpled onto the ground unceremoniously.

Tempesta turned around, towel still in hand, as he heard her knee crack against the stone floor. He took at step towards her instinctively but stopped at the constricting feeling in his chest and watched as Minerva sat up wearily. The female was shaking, her hair obscuring her face but even he could tell she was close to breaking down.

"You're stronger than this." He started slowly as he stood towering over her fragile form, voice betraying nothing. "Get up."

Her head snapped up as she glared at him, the flames in her green eyes burning with an intensity he had not seen before.

Anger, or was it pride?

Whatever it was, it was a good thing – a sudden emotion coming to dominate her feelings would help dull the pain; he would know, he often had to resort to such a tactic when the gaping voids in his mind started to plague his thoughts.

"I don't need your pity," she snapped back harshly, a low hiss escaping her lips as she struggled back on her feet.

Pity.

Was that what he was feeling right now? Was that what the odd sensation in his chest was?

"I don't feel much," he said stoically and almost smiled at the unintended irony.

No, he didn't feel much.

Frustration and irritation came easily and frequently to him but anything other than that was lost to him. He had no memories, and thus no knowledge, as to what other emotions felt like.

Minerva's gaze wavered with uncertainty at his answer and he glanced over his shoulder at the benches in the centre of the shower room.

His shorts were folded neatly on the bench but other than that, there was nothing there.

With a sigh, he tossed the towel at her and Minerva caught it in surprise.

"This doesn't mean anything," he muttered quietly.

A small cyclone surrounded him briefly and dissipated, leaving Tempesta completely dry. He turned and slipped on his shorts before leaving the shower room without a backward glance.

To be honest, nothing meant much, if anything, to him.

* * *

Tempesta rubbed his temples as a dull throbbing pounded in his head. The pain was starting to worsen and he abandoned his half eaten sandwich, one hand supporting his heavy head as he closed his eyes.

He could feel his heartbeat pulsing at his fingertips, his breathing echoing in his ears and the regularity was slowly lulling him into a shallow slumber. In spite of his half-asleep state, he was still aware of his surroundings and the shuffling in the doorway indicated that someone had entered the room.

Dark eyes blinked blearily as he watched Minerva make her way painfully across the room, wincing with every step she took.

The bleeding had stopped but the wounds were still raw and plain to see.

He would have observed the demon a tad bit longer but the buzzing headache washed over him once more and he closed his eyes with a grunt, hands tangling in his hair.

A soft rustling sounded behind him and he could pick up the faintest scent of bread. But then a female voice piped up and he groaned inwardly as he recognised the speaker.

Kyouka.

"And what do you think you're doing, Minerva?"

Her voice was sweet but he could detect the steel underlying her words, as Minerva no doubt could too.

"I was going to have dinner, Kyouka-sama."

A respectful reply, but one given with the slightest tremor in her voice and Tempesta could almost taste the fearful tension lingering in the air.

The clicking and scraping of claws was like nails on a chalkboard and he cringed at the shrill sound.

"And who gave you permission to do so? Are you so eager to be punished once more?"

Perhaps it was the lack of sleep, or perhaps it was due to his headache; he didn't know why but he spoke up, eyes snapping open irritably.

"She's lost a lot of blood today. It would probably be wise to allow her to replenish her energy lest she faint from blood loss."

There was an awkward silence and he was fully aware of the fairly shocked gazes being directed at him. After a moment, his team leader shot him an amused smirk.

"My my, Tempesta. Getting attached, are we?"

"I don't get attached."

The words left his lips instinctively but the truth behind them remained.

There was no point in forming attachments, not when he lost his memories every time he was reincarnated, not if he couldn't feel the things one was supposed to feel.

Kyouka waved at Minerva, signaling her permission, but her eyes never left him.

"Tempesta, why don't you and Minerva go on a training exercise tomorrow? Take out the mercenary guild at the edge of town."

His eyes narrowed in response. Normally such a task would have been no problem for demons of their caliber, but for two individuals still learning how to master their powers, it was no easy feat destroying such a strong guild, especially when Minerva hadn't fully recuperated from her injuries.

There was a fairly large chance that they would fail and the two of them would be severely punished, but judging by the look on Kyouka's face, that was exactly what she wanted.

But if there was one thing Tempesta could count on, it was an order. It was the only thing constant in his life and he would complete it without any hesitation, no questions asked.

Kyouka knew that of course, and he knew that she was manipulating him. Still, he had to ask the question.

"Is that an order?" He asked quietly.

"Yes."

Dark, cool eyes locked onto Minerva's green ones.

"Then consider it done."

* * *

**A/N: **I honestly don't know how to portray Minerva and so I tend to write mainly from Tempesta's POV.


End file.
